Thoughtful Smurf and the Sunstone's Secret
by Benny The Crazed Cartoonist
Summary: Wrestling with feelings of uselessness, Thoughtful Smurf thinks she's finally found her purpose in the village upon encountering an odd gemstone with powerful magical properties. However, with great power comes great responsibility, and not everyone is cut out to handle the pressure that magic brings... or the temptation. T for darker scenes in later chapters.
1. That Maybe Could Have Gone Better

**This story is dedicated to:**

**Frostforge44**

**FreakingCrazy**

**flowerpower71**

**The archive lost some of its hard-hitters with your departure, but I hope everything's going well for you. I wish you all the best in future projects.**

**Anyway, this is the beginning of the next story in Thoughtful's saga. Maybe the last? (I've said that before, and alas, here I sit.) The updating schedule will be fairly lax, but we'll see how this goes.**

**Thoughtful Smurf to be voiced by Lily Collins. **

**Edited in my usual haphazard style, all mistakes are mine. Smurfs copyright Peyo, Thoughtful belongs to me.**

**Smurf y'all later!**

* * *

Thoughtful Smurf tore around a shrub, legs moving faster than her mind even registered. A projectile whizzed by, narrowly missing her shoulder, and she lunged to the left. Another dark shape clipped her knee and she stumbled, sprinting to the right.

She risked a glance back at the blur that was her attacker, leaping from branch to branch with inhuman agility. "I'm sorry! Please forgive me!"

The result of her plea came in the form of another projectile smacking squarely into the back of her head. At the same unfortunate moment, her foot twisted on the uneven forest floor and sent her sprawling into a bramble bush, a thousand tiny pinpricks jabbing through her clothes and yanking her to a painful stop.

The solid shot seemed to placate her attacker, as he stopped on a branch just above her, squeaking and shaking a fist before he turned and vanished into the canopy.

Thoughtful hadn't picked up on everything he'd said, but even with her limited knowledge she could tell the chipmunk had _not_ been pleased.

The bushes before her shifted and she braced for another attack from the perturbed rodent, but instead Papa Smurf and Tracker stepped through the leaves. They stared a moment, taking in the rumpled Smurf, before promptly bursting into laughter, doubling over on themselves to keep upright.

Thoughtful's eyes burned with embarrassed tears, cheeks heating up. "It's not funny!"

Papa finally got a hold of himself, gently pulling brambles away from Thoughtful's clothes. "No, I'm sorry, it's not."

Thoughtful frowned at him. The lines by his shining eyes clearly indicated he thought it was, though he kept his quirking mouth mostly under control.

Tracker had no such qualms, barely getting words out past his residual chuckles. "S-Smurfs above, I have _never_ seen a chipmunk get so angry."

Thoughtful finally got to her feet, picking thorns out of her hair. Her hair? Where was... ah, her hat still hung in the bush like a white flag raised to her attacker. Congratulations, the mighty chipmunk had defeated her.

Papa Smurf knelt to check the foot she'd twisted. "Are you alright, Thoughtful? That looked like quite the tumble." This, of course, sent Tracker into giggle fits again.

She glared at her friend. "I'm fine, Papa. I can put weight on it, see?"

"Arms?" She held out her arms, looking at her hat again while Papa inspected the numerous tiny scratches.

"They're okay too. " Finally Tracker managed to pull himself together and she watched as he plucked her hat from the brambles and plopped it on her head.

Straightening, Papa brushed off his hands. "I'd like to get some salve on those scratches anyway. Come along, my little Smurfs, that's enough practice for today."

The three of them set off through the now much calmer forest, Thoughtful adjusting her hat as she went. "What did I say to get him so angry?"

Tracker barked another laugh, sauntering beside her with his hands tucked in his pockets. "Nothing I can repeat in civilized company." Papa _hmmed_ an amused agreement.

"But I repeated exactly what you said!"

"Thoughtful," Tracker put a hand on her shoulder, feigning sympathy even though his eyes shone. "Trust me, you didn't."

She pouted. "This is so easy for you two, why am I not getting it? Is it something I'm doing? Or not doing?"

Papa glanced over his shoulder at them. "You need to remember, Tracker and I have been communing with animals for decades. It all comes with practice and time, learning a new language doesn't happen in a day."

"I'd get pelted with acorns a lot less if it did." The back of her head throbbed as if for emphasis and she paused to massage the growing lump. Tracker stopped next to her, all easy smiles.

Until he stiffened like a prey animal, stare fixated somewhere deep in the forest. All evidence of humour and relaxation shed from him like a winter coat from a rabbit.

Unnerved by her friend's abrupt shift, Thoughtful froze too. A beat. "What's wrong?"

He sniffed the air. Twice. Three times. Then he grabbed her hand. "It's time to go!"

Out of the undergrowth thundered a giant raccoon, scream tearing through the forest and teeth snapping shut just shy of Tracker's tail. The three Smurfs bolted.

Thoughtful's existence narrowed from complex thought and emotion to the pounding of her feet against the dirt, matching the pounding of her heart. Ragged gasps. Keeping Tracker or Papa in sight. Keeping the monstrous raccoon behind her. Following the worn paths to safe haven.

She ran until she felt her heart would burst, and only then did she slow. Papa and Tracker stopped alongside. Papa panted mercilessly, crouched with his hands on his knees, and Tracker took near-silent breaths as he scanned the forest behind them, watching for any other sign of the animal. Thoughtful tried to listen for the sounds they'd taught her, but hearing anything above her own wheezing proved difficult.

Finally, tension released in Tracker's shoulders and he changed from guard dog to Smurf again. "All clear."

"Why is that raccoon so ornery, anyway?" Thoughtful walked in a loose circle, cooling her muscles. This wasn't the first recorded instance of this particular raccoon giving chase to a Smurf. There had been many reports lately of gathering parties or passers-by being attacked without warning. From what she'd heard, Clumsy nearly got his head bitten off in one of the first attacks. Papa finally got his breath back and the three of them began walking again, a little more wary this time.

"It won't tell me anything," the elder admitted.

Tracker pursed his lips. "It won't even let me get close enough to ask."

Thoughtful glanced back and forth between the two. "And... Nat?" The little Smurfling may have been young, but he proved time and again that when it came to animals there was no Smurf better.

Of course, the minute the words left her mouth she knew what Papa would say. "Absosmurfly not, I am not letting my little Smurfling _anywhere near _a hostile raccoon."

She should have guessed.

Her steps pulled even with a pebble. She kicked it down the path a bit. "If I could just learn faster, maybe I could help." To be learning valuable skills and not being able to use them was killing her slowly from the inside. If only she knew enough to speak raccoon!

Provided she didn't say something stupid and get herself killed in the process.

The swelling roofs of the village rose into view, the comforting din of Smurfs at work cutting into her thoughts. Seeing everyone milling about, doing chores and tasks and generally being _useful_, sent something sour into her gut.

Tracker smiled at her, kinder this time instead of teasing, and patted her shoulder before tucking his hands in his pockets again and heading into the village. Thoughtful watched him integrate easily like a fish to water.

"It'll get easier, my little Smurf."

Thoughtful glanced up at Papa, standing resolutely beside her. His hands clasped behind his back, he watched the village with a gentle expression, face full of love and serenity.

She faced forward again. "I know, Papa Smurf. It's just that..." the words caught on her tongue, thoughts buried so deeply in her mind making themselves known without her consent.

Papa said nothing, only looking at her with those kind, probing eyes. Curse him and his Papa powers.

"I just... I just wish there was a place in the village for me. You know, everyone has their own smurfy thing to do, and that's great, I'm happy for them, but it's been over a year since I came and I still feel like an outsider sometimes and I know it's silly, everyone's so nice, but I just feel useless sometimes and I feel that if I could do something like talk to animals or even speak the humans' language I could contribute something, does that kind of make sense?"

He laughed, that warm belly laugh he was so good at, and Thoughtful risked a glance up at him. He shook his head fondly at her, setting one hand on her shoulder as Tracker did not two minutes earlier. The love and care in that simple touch, the depth of his eyes, made Thoughtful feel foolish for even entertaining the thought. How could someone look at her in such a way if she were an outsider?

"Thoughtful, you might not see the way you contribute to village life in the same way Handy or Farmer or other Smurfs contribute, but that doesn't make your role any less important. It's entirely up to you when you realize what a smurfy impact you've had since you came, but make no mistake; the other Smurfs, including me, are thankful for the part you play." His smile got a little impish. "Fluent in chipmunk or not."

She could ignore that last comment in lieu of the rush of affection and gratitude surging through her heart. Her eyes welled up, but before tears could fall she threw her arms around Papa. "Thank you, Papa. I think I needed to hear that."

He chuckled again, patting her back. "Everysmurf does now and again." They pulled apart. "Come along, now. Let's join the others."

The two of them started to pick their way down the hill into the village. Even through the residual sting on the back of her head, Thoughtful swelled with a new sense of belonging, the pain of insecurities unspoken gone with Papa's reassurance. She was still useful, even if she couldn't speak to animals. She could find purpose in other things.

Papa spoke up again as the scraggly grass and pebbles merged to packed dirt paths. "Oh, you know what may help?"

She latched onto the words instantly, a new wave of hope washing over her. "What?"

"You could go and see your friend Beathach. Perhaps he has some insight into learning techniques."

Of course! Thoughtful couldn't stop the little hop in her step, excitement bubbling over her mind into her body. "You're right! If anyone knows about it, he does! May I go tomorrow, Papa Smurf?"

"If you finish all your chores before noon, you may." He chuckled at her giddy vibrations. "Settle down, now, it's time to smurf some salve on those cuts."

A quick examination to the bump on her head and a layer of sweet-smelling honey salve later, Thoughtful waved goodbye to Papa by his door. "Thank you, Papa. And thank you for suggesting Beathach, I never would have thought of him."

"Yes you would have." Papa followed her out and closed the door behind him, glancing at the sky. "Could you please smurf Farmer back to the village? Greedy's about to ring the dinner bell any moment and I don't think he'll be able to hear it from the fields."

"Yes, Papa Smurf."

The paths stood empty at this time of evening, most Smurfs already at the dining hall, but they were far from eerie. A year into living here, her new home, and she met the roads like old friends, positive energy of Smurfs lingering like a cool mist at the end of a hot day. She breathed in the very essence of the village and all who lived there, shedding the day's low points with the atmosphere of comfort hanging low over the mushroom houses. The setting sun sent brilliant, dappled light through the canopy and houses cast long, ballooning shadows over the fallen orange leaves. Cool air warmed in her lungs, expelled in the faintest fog. The curling white cloud drew a smile over Thoughtful's face.

Boy, was she lucky to be a Smurf.

The paths opened up to tilled farmland, bursting with ripe yellow corn and bright, cheery smurfberry red. At the far end of the field rose a green cabbage, taller than she was, and near its base popped a blob of the purest blue. All bathed in rich, golden light.

Thoughtful manoeuvred her way around crops as big as her head until she pulled up to the biggest cabbage seen by man or Smurf. Farmer, on his hands and knees, fooled about with something at the base. He plunged so deep into cabbage leaves that only his feet and his little blue tail peeped out. She peered upwards, but could hardly see the curve of the vegetable, much less the top. "Wow, it's really shot up in the last week!"

Some rustling, and Thoughtful gave him a moment to extract himself from the cabbage. He grinned when he saw her, pride shining in his eyes. "A-yup, that's thanks to all the rain the week past. But there be a dry spell smurfin', so I hope she don't get too thirsty."

"And this is _without_ Papa's fertilizer?" Hard to believe, the only vegetables Thoughtful had ever seen of this size had been magically tampered with.

If Farmer's chest could puff up any more, it certainly did. "Not a speck. Just good old fashioned dirt."

She shouldn't have doubted him. Even now, Farmer's agricultural skills astounded her. "Oh, Papa Smurf told me to fetch you for dinner."

He glanced at the sky, as if just noticing how late it had gotten. "Sacred twenty Smurfs, I hadn't even realized." He stood, not bothering to brush the dirt off his already filthy pants, and patted his prized cabbage. "Come along, my friend, it's time to reap today's benefits."

Thoughtful tilted her head, eyes flicking from Farmer to the cabbage and back. Was it... was it coming with them?

Far be it for her to decide what a giant cabbage could and couldn't do, but she didn't think it would fit in the mess hall.

The leaves rustled a little more, and out popped another creature. He shook his head in the light, like he hadn't seen it in a while, before his gaze dropped to Thoughtful and he beamed. "Oh, hello Thoughtful."

Her face warmed with her own fond smile. "Hello, Gourdy." Should she feel silly for thinking Farmer was talking to the cabbage? No, the little genie all but disappeared under its enormous leaves. And Farmer talked to his plants anyway.

Gourdy stood and brushed himself off, and the three of them began to pick their way through the field again.

"Hey, Thoughtful, do you have something on your arms?"

"Yes, Gourdy, it's a honey poultice."

"Oh. Smells really good."


	2. Warnings and Discoveries

**Chapter two sees a bit more action, hopefully. **

**Beathach to be voiced by David Tennant.**

**Thoughtful Smurf and Beathach (and I suppose this particular chipmunk) belong to me. **

**Smurf y'all later!**

* * *

The mess hall was nearly full by the time the three of them arrived, dinner already served and Smurfs halfway through their meals. Farmer and Gourdy said their goodbyes and left Thoughtful to join up at her normal end of the communal table, sliding in between Brainy and Greedy.

Greedy immediately set about sniffing at her arms. "Mmm, Thoughtful, you smell good enough to eat!"

She laughed and tucked her arms under her poncho. "I wouldn't advise that. It's medicinal poultice."

"Medicinal?!" Brainy snatched a hand and held it up to his face before Thoughtful could so much as squeak. He turned it over and over, inspecting every little scratch.

She tried not to blush. His hands were soft.

Finally, he tore his eyes away from her arms, looking up at her with his probing blue eyes, made all the bigger by his glasses. For a second, she stared into those eyes, their hypnotic spell binding her in place.

"You really do need to learn to be more careful! After all, like I always say, a smurf of prevention is worth a pound of cure!"

Aaand, the spell broke.

Thoughtful gently pulled her hand from his, busying herself with her meal. "It's just a few scratches, Brainy, nothing to worry about. I fell over during practice today, that's all." The less people who heard about her encounter with the chipmunk, the better. Who knew how long it would take Tracker to let that one go?

Brainy stared at her a moment longer before turning back to his food. "And how was practice today?"

"Brainy! Are you... taking an _interest_ in someone else's life?" He spun to glare daggers at her and she laughed. "No, practice was smurfy today, thank you for asking."

Clumsy peered around from Brainy's other side, leaning over so far he fell off the bench. Thoughtful quashed her initial concern, Clumsy had survived far worse than a bump on the rear. He pushed his hat off his eyes. "What were you learning today, Thoughtful?"

She offered him a smurfberry from her plate and he popped it into his mouth. "Chipmunk, though I'm not very good. Oh, smurfing of which," she poked Brainy's thigh, "Papa Smurf said I could go to Beathach's cottage tomorrow to see if he had any learning tips. Would you like to come along?"

His eyes widened in feigned shock. "You mean, _I_ could go see this famed wizard friend of yours? Truly? Oh, happy smurf!"

She laughed and poked him again. "You don't have to if you don't want to."

"I'll come along, if only just to see what all the fuss is about."

He dropped one hand abruptly, resting it overtop of hers, and her heart stopped. She stared at the point of contact, the warmth from his hand seeming to flow through her entire body and intensify right at her cheeks.

She glanced up to see him searching her face, somewhere between asking permission and offering a challenge. They'd talked about this. They'd talked about this so many times and yet, here he sat with his hand on hers in the middle of the dining hall. The rush of heat sparked into irritation, and she tried to convey her mixed emotions through her expression, coupled with the slightest shake of her head.

Brainy's eyes dropped, and he removed his hand.

Suddenly, Thoughtful could breathe again. She pulled her hand back into her own space. Brainy still didn't look at her.

"Don't suppose I could come too?" Gutsy broke away from his conversation with Hefty to interject. "I'm always down for a new adventure."

This pulled a smile from the corner of Thoughtful's mouth. "You just want to come to see if he has any more dangerous animals." Last time she'd visited Beathach, Gutsy had bitterly lamented about missing the chance to see the wolverine in the wizard's care. The fact that it had been rabid was merely the icing on the cake.

Gutsy set both elbows on the table, leaning his cheeks on his fists, innocent as can be. "Why, lass, how could ye insinuate such a thing? I'm sure I have no _idea_ what yer talkin' about."

The smile tugged at the other corner of her mouth now, but could never reach its full potential with Brainy's writhing energy at her left side. He was trying to catch her eye. She pretended not to see. "I'm sure Papa Smurf won't have a problem with it. And I _know_ Beathach won't, he's been asking about everyone ever since I met him."

"Aye, smurfy. Let me know when yer headin' out tomorrow."

Brainy stood so suddenly Thoughtful actually jumped. Finally, she met his eyes and didn't entirely like what she saw. His eyebrows furrowed unnaturally, fists flexing at his sides. The other Smurfs in proximity grew silent and still, watching Brainy like he might explode. Thoughtful's shoulders tightened at their attention, but she kept her eyes upwards.

"Thoughtful?" Brainy swept one hand to the door. "A word?"

No Smurf seemed to breathe. Then Thoughtful moved to stand and the tense atmosphere shattered under the sound of the bench scraping away from the table. Still, she was all too aware of everyone's eyes on her back as Brainy led her out of the mess hall and into the cool evening, shutting the door behind them and trapping the boisterous noise of contented Smurfs behind mushroom walls.

The sun reduced to a mere streak on the horizon, Brainy was lit only by the firefly lanterns strung along the paths, dim glow turning his blue skin almost purple. Thoughtful found herself glad for it, since it was difficult to see Brainy's face, and then shied away under a wave of negativity. That was a rotten thing to think.

As usual, Brainy didn't wait to speak. "I need clarification."

A beat as Thoughtful stared at him, incomprehensive. "I... I'm sorry?"

"I need to know what you consider us, Thoughtful, because I thought things were going smurfily and then suddenly you start to avoid me and wander off into the forest all day and invite other Smurfs when I try to be alone with you and I'm very confused and Brainy Smurf does _not_ do confused." He punctuated the last point with two fists on his hips, watching her. Waiting for her to respond.

She did. "W-what?"

His fists dropped with a heavy sigh, the fight gone out of him in a single breath. "I just... I hate not knowing if we're smurfy or... It seems to change every day."

Ah. _This_ conversation.

She shifted uncomfortably, but some of the tension locking her shoulders released. This seemed to be a long time coming. Slowly, trying not to scare herself as much as scare him, she reached forward and took his hand. He looked back and forth between their clasped fingers and her face, probing.

"I'm sorry," she said again, and she meant it truthfully. "We're smurfy, I promise, it's just..." She drew in a steadying breath, "It hasn't been that long since that whole incident with my other village and... I guess I'm just trying to find myself. It feels like it's only been a day or two since I got my memories back and I still don't really know who I am, and it's not fair to you for me to try to get to know you better when I don't even know myself. Don't get me wrong," she hurried on as Brainy's face fell, "I like this, I like... what might happen, but for right now I just need to take it very, very slowly."

He glanced back to their hands again, and Thoughtful realized she was gripping a little too tightly. "And that's why you... don't want to be seen with me?"

Her mouth dropped open as she registered the weight behind his words. "No! Smurfs above, no, Brainy, that's not why I asked to keep this quiet. I don't want to jump into things, and letting everyone know feels like... it feels like a big step. One I'm not sure I'm ready to take just yet. Not until I'm confident in myself and my own identity. The part I play in this village." Her gaze, downcast during her confession, finally raised to his. Brainy stared at her with no less fondness, but the hurt had all but vanished. "Does that kind of make sense?"

He huffed, crossing his arms, but she could see the beginnings of a smile in the darkness. "Hmpf. I'll wear you down eventually, Thoughtful Smurf, Brainy Smurf always gets what he wants."

All her nerves left her in a breathless laugh. "Of course he does, in the end." Emboldened by the beautiful evening and the new level of trust and honesty she felt they'd achieved, Thoughtful tilted onto her tip-toes and pressed her lips gently against Brainy's cheek. She'd kissed him a few times before, and he her, but it never failed to send a thrill through her lips and down her spine. She hovered for a second after pulling away, mouth close to his ear. "Just please, be patient with me."

He squeezed her hand. "I am the best at being patient."

"I'm sure Lazy would disagree." She dropped back onto her whole foot, arms floating up by her sides. She felt so light she might just float away. "Would you like to come back inside and finish dinner?"

"No. I would like to go for a walk with you."

She hadn't been really hungry anyway. "Brainy Smurf always gets what he wants."

They left the warm light of the mess hall behind them, clasped hands invisible in the darkness to all but each other.

* * *

Thoughtful finished her chores in record time the next morning, trying to find ways to expel giddy energy while she waited for Brainy to finish his. Finally, they were done. They collected their packs, retrieved Gutsy, and said goodbye to Papa Smurf before heading out into the forest.

It took precisely twelve minutes and fifteen seconds for Brainy to start complaining. "No wonder nosmurf comes up here except you, Thoughtful, there's no path to speak of. Yow!"

She turned to see him flat on his tail, rubbing one foot and tears pooling in his eyes. Ahead of her, Gutsy scoffed and continued on, unflappable as ever. Thoughtful memorized the place he disappeared in case she lost him, then knelt next to Brainy. "Are you alright?"

He nodded to his foot, where a tiny thorn stuck from his shoe. She reached forward and plucked it out, tossing it into the forest. Brainy smiled up at her, eyes still watering. "Thank you."

Should she tell him the thorn had barely punctured the fabric of his shoe? "No problem. Come on, we can't lose Gutsy. He might try to fight that raccoon."

Brainy shuddered as they started off again. Gutsy climbed over that log, right? Yes, Thoughtful caught glimpses of blue tartan darting in and out of the trees ahead. "Why did we have to walk, anyway? Fringe would have gotten us there a lot sooner." A spider dropped out of a tree, landing softly beside him as he let out a strangled cry. It seemed to glare at him before scuttling away. "And safer."

"Fringe has been busy lately, preparing for migration. Most of the storks have. I don't want to ruin anything by taking him away from that, it's an important part of a bird's life."

"Still," Brainy grumbled, making a face that could only be described as a pout.

Thoughtful hid a grin. Utterly adorable.

Feet hit tree bark and Gutsy stood above them on a fallen log, half-leaning over the curvature, the only thing keeping him from a tumble being his grip on a spindly twig. "Ye know, I just realized I haven't the slightest notion where we're headed. Ye wanna hurry it up there, lassie?"

She leaped, propelling herself up the side of the log to stand at the top, wiping dirt and moss off her hands. "We're not too far, Gutsy, another hour's journey maybe."

Of course, her estimate stemmed from trips she'd made to Beathach's cottage herself. With Brainy in tow, it was more like an hour and a half before the three of them stood at the edge of the clearing. She'd been here many times before, but with Gutsy and Brainy along, Thoughtful suddenly saw the clearing with fresh eyes, nervous as to what their first impressions might be.

The whole time they'd been travelling South, away from the nearest human village. Beathach lived out in the middle of nowhere in a slouching hut that looked more like it was dug from the earth instead of built. A crooked chimney breathed a sweet gray smoke that could be smelled even from this distance. Moss hung in long strands from the roof, nearly hiding the door. The beaten path leading to the hut stretched barren, but flowers of every colour and shape sprouted in the clearing, most blooms rising up taller than Thoughtful would be even if she stood on Gutsy's shoulders. Two round, paneless windows barely peeped out from under a curtain of ivy, warm candle light shining from between the leaves.

Thoughtful squinted, adjusting her glasses. The light shifted with shadows from inside the house.

Gutsy started forward, apparently done with studying the scene. "C'mon, we haven't go' all night."

"Hold on," Thoughtful snagged his sash as he sauntered past, and he stopped more in response to her words than her weak attempt at holding him back.

"Everythin' smurfy? I thought ye said ye knew this fella."

"I do, and you're right, usually I would just invite myself in, but look at the windows."

Brainy and Gutsy studied the windows, and she could feel the energy shift when they noticed the shadows. Brainy muttered, "there's something big moving in there."

She nodded, ignoring Gutsy's excited tail wag. "Sometimes he gets humans over who need help with their livestock, but I can't tell if there are two people in there or just him. We should be cautious."

Gutsy's tail stopped moving, and he crossed his arms. "Ye do know what me name is, right?"

Nevertheless, they all crept forward in the long flower stems, avoiding the exposed path as much as possible. Nearer to the open windows, they heard low voices.

Thoughtful held out a hand, silently asking them to wait, as she leaped onto a water barrel and peeked into the window. There sat her friend, dressed in brown leathers, kind green eyes shining in the light of his little fireplace. His scraggly beard shifted as he laughed at something and responded in his own reverberating timbre.

Thoughtful dared to move an ivy leaf, straining to see who Beathach's guest could be. Her heart leaped a little in surprise as a furry brown streak leaped from the modest table and onto the opposite windowsill, but she needn't have worried. Beathach waved goodbye to the chipmunk as it hopped down into the flowerbeds and disappeared into the forest.

Releasing the ivy, she glanced over her shoulder. "All clear." Brainy and Gutsy joined her on the windowsill.

"That's him?" Brainy asked, disbelieved. "He seems so... rugged."

"Other humans call him a wild-man, so I suppose you're not wrong." She used a strand of ivy to swing to the floor in a graceful arc. "Beathach!"

The wizard turned at her voice, another face-splitting smile stretching wide. "Why, if it isn't Thoughtful Smurf! What brings ye here on this lovely afternoon?"

"A question," she smiled as she felt Brainy and Gutsy drop to the ground on either side of her. "And an introduction."

He put a hand to his chest, dropping to his knees immediately. "Glory be. Could this be the day I finally smurf some of your family?"

Brainy and Gutsy recoiled, and Thoughtful flinched a little.

"What's he mean by 'smurf'?"

Gutsy lifted his chin at Beathach. "Aye, yer head's full o' mince there, human!"

Confusion at their reactions quickly vanished beneath utter joy. "Right tidy, another highlander! Yer a bit of a chancer there yerself, lad."

Gutsy hooked a thumb at the wizard, suddenly grinning as if nothing had happened. "Oh, I _like_ this one, lass."

"Thought you might." She turned her attention back to Beathach. "Good try, but 'smurf' wasn't used in the correct context there." Unsurprising, he hadn't managed to use 'smurf' correctly _once_ since she'd started teaching him.

Beathach's mouth turned down in an exaggerated frown, but his eyes still shone. "Alas, another botch. I'll stick to the King's French then, shall I?"

A language they _all_ knew. "Probably for the best. You've met Gutsy," she motioned to him and he nodded brightly. "And this is Brainy."

Brainy stepped forward, adjusting his glasses. "Salutations. I'm sure Thoughtful's mentioned me often."

One bushy eyebrow raised nearly into Beathach's hairline. "Ah... indeed she did." He regarded Brainy for a moment, studying him in a way Thoughtful wasn't sure how she felt about. The way Brainy's back stiffened next to her, she didn't believe he quite appreciated it either. Time to move the conversation along.

"What I wanted to ask," she paused, letting out a silent breath as Beathach stopped eyeing Brainy like a hungry snake and focused on her again, "is if you have any tips or tricks for learning animal languages quicker. I've hit a... a bit of a roadblock."

"Ye don't say?" Beathach pulled himself off the ground, bringing a kettle off the fire just before it started to whistle and busying himself with retrieving three tiny cups. "Apparently yer not the only one. The chipmunk what was just here? Well, he nearly dislocated his own shoulder whipping acorns at some blue busybody who said some pretty nasty things about his hygiene."

Thoughtful sent him the most withering glare she could muster, trying _so so hard_ to ignore how Brainy and Gutsy doubled up on each other in hysterical laughter. At dinner the night previous, Tracker had recounted the story of her crippling defeat at the hands of a chipmunk a little too close to Nosey, and when she'd woken that morning the whole village was sending her amused snickers.

Tracker Smurf was _so going to pay _for that.

In the meantime, though, she tried to compose herself. "Yes, well, you can see how important it would be for me to learn any kind of methods for avoiding this conundrum in the future. So as the resident master of all things fauna, perhaps you have a book, or a cheat sheet?" She paused. "Or a spell?"

The last request sobered Beathach slightly. He poured drops of steaming tea into the cups, setting the kettle back on its hook. "Aye, I might. Come with me." He nodded to the other two. "Please, make yerselves at home. Oh, and highlander," Gutsy glanced up just in time to see a fleeting wink, "if ye need something stronger than tea, check the barrel to yer left."

Gutsy's eyes lit up, practically falling over himself to check the contents of said barrel.

Thoughtful shook her head fondly at his retreating back, then took a running leap, ricocheted off the table, and scrambled up the notched leather of Beathach's coat to his shoulder.

Brainy leapt to the tabletop as well, staring after her, wringing his hands in the way he did when he was in an unfamiliar environment. "Where are you going?"

"Just to the back room," she tried to soothe his nerves with a smile. "Everything will be fine, just too many bodies in the back room at once disrupts the power balance there, makes it less potent. We'll be back before you say 'smurf'."

Then Beathach turned into a narrow, cold stone staircase and the warmth of the fire, and Brainy's last tiny wave, were left above ground.

The staircase wound tightly, walls so narrow that Beathach had to slip sideways in some places, but Thoughtful embraced the cool earth and gray stone like an old friend. She counted stairs in time with Beathach's walking rhythm. _Ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen..._

Thirty three steps down, the staircase opened into a long rectangular room, the walls and ceiling the same gray stone as behind them. The room couldn't be classified as 'big', even from a Smurf's perspective, but looked even smaller with the sheer amount of mass packed into the space. Bookshelves covered every wall, more volumes piled on stools and small wooden tables. Bundles of herbs and hand-crafted dolls and charms hung from the ceiling on bits of rope. Light came from three crystals twice the height of Thoughtful herself, engulfing the room in a dim green glow. Any other available surface space was covered in a myriad of ornate chests and jewelry boxes of some kind, most of them locked tight.

She jumped down onto a bit of empty table as Beathach turned, pulling a thick leather cover over the entry to the stairwell before sliding into the array of magical items like a fish to water.

Thoughtful stayed silent. There were times when Beathach didn't want any sound to enter the room (another way his form of magic lost its potency), but it was impossible to know which was a silent day and which wasn't until Beathach himself made the distinction.

She concentrated instead on the settling of air in her lungs, For some reason, being so far underground and surrounded by the smell of earth and the gentle green glow of the crystals, nothing manufactured or unnatural, it all made Thoughtful feel impossibly close to nature. Like, down here, if she reached out to touch one of the walls, a plant might start growing from the cracks.

She shifted away from the wall, tucking her hands under her poncho.

"So _that's_ the infamous Brainy Smurf, huh?"

Ah, a talking day after all. She watched as he pulled a book from a shelf and leafed through the pages. It might have seemed like he wasn't paying her any mind, but she'd witnessed first-hand how good his multitasking performed. "He certainly is."

"Quite honestly, he doesn't seem the type ye'd usually get on with."

She made herself comfortable on an ornate box, pulling her legs up. "I've put a lot of thought into that, actually. I think we complement each other."

He peered at her over the top of the book. "And yer sure ye wouldn't rather have the highlander?"

A laugh escaped her before she could stop it. "No! And trust me, Gutsy could have his _pick_ of the ladies if he was at all interested. Brainy, though..." she hesitated, knowing what she wanted to convey but lacking the words to do so. "He's... he's the knowledge to my wonder, if that makes sense."

A grin tugged at the corner of Beathach's mouth as he put the book away. "The answer to yer questions."

She stuck her tongue out at him. "You humans, always making things sound so dirty. Brainy's a great Smurf, once you make the effort to get past the initial layer of insecurity and defensiveness."

"Sounds like ye've put some tidy thought into this."

"You should see my diary, I've got _pages_ of this kind of stuff in there."

This coaxed a deep chuckle out of him, but his green eyes shadowed immediately after. "Ye mentioned something about a spell."

Her heart leaped and contracted in the same instant. "I... I did."

"Ye know how dangerous using magic is when simple practice will give ye the same results."

It wasn't a question. She'd discussed the same thing with Papa, and the answer was always _magic shouldn't be used frivolously. Too many things could go wrong_. "That's why I just asked for tips, things that helped you when you were first starting to learn the animal languages."

He handed off a piece of parchment to her, covered in so much ink it seemed to be more black than brown. "This really helped me with tonalities in certain languages. Maybe ye can find use fer it." Luckily, it was small enough that Thoughtful could fold it and put it in her pack. She'd read over it later.

"Thank you, this should be most helpful. Now we really should be getting back, Papa Smurf will be~"

"Thoughtful."

She paused, eyes flicking up. Beathach was the definition of serious, mouth set in a tight line under his beard. "I'm no' joking. It's a wizard rule that if something can be accomplished _without _magic, do it without magic."

She tilted her head. Why was he specifying this?

"Yer a determined girl, and that's great, but just..." he sighed, scrubbing at his face with a hand. "I dunno. I've been gettin' a feeling from the earth. Just... yer capable enough on yer own, ye don't need magic to make ye special, ye get it?"

Her fists tightened on the straps of her bag. "I understand."

And in that moment, she realized she _didn't_. If something as harmless as learning a language could be accomplished through a spell or a potion, why not? It would give immediate use, instead of learning it through years of practice, and surely the buy-out wouldn't be _that _high for something so simple. Papa and Brainy often spoke of how magic often came at a cost, and she could understand the reasoning behind not doing something drastic such as, say, raising a family member from the dead, but the ability to understand and empathize with a creature?

She thought of the raccoon terrorizing the forest, thought what might happen if she could just talk to it. Wasn't the possibility of peace worth the risk?

None of this she relayed aloud, of course, not after seeing the obvious relief lining Beathach's face. "Good. Let's head back then." He held out a hand, palm up. She stepped into it, holding on to his index finger, and her friend pulled the leather cover away and began up the stairs.

They entered into the little hut again, and immediately Beathach let out a booming laugh. "Wee numptie, I didn't mean the _entire barrel_!"

Gutsy's cup of tea sat, untouched and cold, on the table, but it didn't stop him from smacking his lips in satisfaction, eyes gone a little crossed. Brainy scowled darkly at him from the other end of the table, turning to Thoughtful as she hopped off next to him. "Papa Smurf is going to be _smurfed_."

Together, they hauled an unsteady Gutsy to his feet. "Can you make it to the windowsill?"

Brainy blew a puff of air through his lips. "Please. He can't even stand."

"Aye and haud yer wheesht," Gutsy's head lolled for a moment before he got his neck under control. "I'm right braw, ye wee balloon, let me show ye." He pulled away from their support before either of them could protest, executing a rather impressive front flip from the table to the windowsill. He overshot on the landing, pitching forward at Thoughtful's gasp, but grabbed an ivy vine to right himself. With a flourish, he spun around to Beathach. "Evenin', chum, and we can tear the tartan again one day."

The wizard laughed again. "Aye, skedaddle, ye reekin' bampot."

Gutsy threw him a two-fingered salute, then promptly fell backwards off the windowsill and into the yard.

Brainy heaved a sigh far too big for his little body. "Smurfs above, I can't understand anyone anymore." He followed Gutsy's trajectory to the windowsill, peering over the side. He moved to jump down before glancing at Beathach over his shoulder. "It was a pleasure." He leaped out of view.

"Likewise," Beathach muttered. "I'd ask again if ye wanted the Scot, but after that display I think I just answered me own question."

Thoughtful leapt to the window as well, glancing at the ground. Gutsy was halfway across the yard, Brainy tearing after him in a mad effort to keep up. "I think I'll stick to my Smurf, thanks." She looked back, expecting to see a smile, but Beathach had turned serious again.

"Be true to yer name and think about what I said about magic, Thoughtful Smurf."

Why was he on her back about this, she'd mentioned a spell once. "Of course. Thank you, my friend."

Before he could chastise her any more, she launched herself off the windowsill and took off after her two companions.

* * *

Wrangling Gutsy in his state proved to be a three-Smurf job, and both Brainy and Thoughtful were sadly lacking in the strength department. After their third (or fourth?) attempt to stop Gutsy from throwing himself off tree branches to see if he could fly, both bespectacled Smurfs leaned against a trunk, panting and sweating like humans.

Thoughtful tried to wet her lips, heart burning in her chest. "At least... we don't... have to carry him."

Brainy stood with his hands on his knees, coughing every so often. "That would... be preferable at this point."

The snap of a twig cut Thoughtful's breathless laugh in half. She jerked up, suddenly aware of how close they were to the village. And to other things.

"Brainy," her voice barely more than a whisper, not an inch of her moving on its own accord, "where's Gutsy?"

Another twig snapped, and now Brainy stood rigid with fear beside her, scanning the undergrowth for red hair and blue tartan. "I don't... I don't see him."

They remained stock still, listening, waiting. A beat of silence.

Something crashed out of the bushes and Thoughtful screamed, Brainy matching timbre beside her until they finally focused on their attacker. Gutsy Smurf howled with laughter, clutching his stomach and rolling back and forth on his tail. "Ye shoulda seen yer faces!"

Brainy, the first to recover, scowled at his older brother. "Yes, yes, so funny, come here you troublesmurfer." He moved to grab Gutsy's arm.

"Brainy, no!"

Thoughtful blurred forward, hands connecting solidly with Brainy's shoulders the instant before a giant weight slammed into her side, sending her tumbling over and over and over and suddenly the ground dissipated under her and she was falling.

She landed hard on her back, gaping like a fish until she sucked in a lungful of sweet, precious air. Her side and back throbbed, and something had cut her hand, she could feel her own blood leaking sticky trails down her wrist.

She lifted her hand to inspect it, and saw the source of the cut. Half buried in the ground sat a radiant orange jewel, pointed at the edges like a star. In the dim light from the hole above her, it shone like the sun, glittering and beautiful. She stared, transfixed.

A shape blotted out the hole above her and the spell broke. She tore her eyes from the gem, remembering where she was and _oh smurf, Gutsy and Brainy are out there with that thing_! She surged to her feet and took two steps to the hole...

Then darted back to snatch up the gem, shoving it firmly under her hat. She could puzzle over it later.

Scrambling to the top, she popped her head out into the open. Brainy stood facing the hole, eyes flicking to her briefly when she made herself known, but otherwise too occupied with attempting to restrain Gutsy and stare down something just over Thoughtful's shoulder.

Slowly, she turned.

Not five apples from her hole crouched the hostile raccoon, muzzle twisted in an ugly snarl.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl for everyone except Gutsy, who continued to spit profanities at the raccoon like a Smurf possessed.

"Thoughtful," Brainy's words drew thin and reedy with his fear. "I'm going to jump into the hole, okay?"

She didn't trust her own voice. The best she could get off was a tiny nod, never tearing her eyes from the raccoon. It's attention shifted to her now, the closer target.

Nothing happened for a long second.

"I'm going to count to three and then I'll rush for it."

Thoughtful gulped, finally finding her voice. "Be careful, Brainy."

Something shifted behind her back, and the movement made her shoulders lock. Then, Brainy spoke again, "Here we go. One... two..."

The raccoon pounced.


End file.
